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After Christmas, vaccinations against Covid-19 will begin in Germany. Logistics is essential for this. How does the delivery of the vaccine work? And are there still weak points?
By Till Bücker, tagesschau.de
Following the successful approval of the BNT162b2 vaccine from BioNTech and Pfizer, corona vaccines will begin in Germany on December 27. “By the end of this year, more than 1.3 million doses of vaccines will be delivered to the federal states and distributed by them to the vaccination teams,” announced the federal Minister of Health, Jens Spahn.
Delivery started on Wednesday. The first 151,125 doses of vaccination in Germany are expected on Saturday, according to the Berlin Senate Health Department. By the end of January, three to four million cans should finally be available. A total of 11 to 13 million is expected for the first quarter; distributing them is a gigantic logistical task.
Distribution through delivery centers
At first glance, the planning of the Ministry of Health’s “National COVID-19 Vaccination Strategy” seems quite simple: manufacturers deliver vaccine doses to central locations in EU member states, from where they are distributed.
However, behind this is a gigantic supply chain with great challenges. According to previous information from the Federal Ministry of Health, there are 27 delivery centers in all countries. Meanwhile, according to a spokeswoman, the number is no longer correct, if initially it was more or less unclear. Most of the locations are unknown for security reasons. BioNTech assumes 25.
Delivery to the vaccination center in three days
From there the doses are distributed to the 450 vaccination centers. In Bavaria alone, about 100 facilities are in operation, in Lower Saxony about 50. In addition, there are another 100 mobile vaccination teams.
The producers themselves are calm. “We can get the vaccine to the vaccination site in three days,” Pfizer writes on the company’s website. BioNTech CFO Sierk Poeting also emphasized the day before yesterday that doses should be in all EU member states by December 26, so that vaccines can start on the 27th.
From Germany via Belgium back to Germany
The Mainz-based company confirmed that it intends to work with Pfizer to produce up to 50 million cans this year and up to 1.3 billion in 2021. The company is considering all possibilities to expand its production.
BioNTech continues to produce mainly in Mainz, a spokeswoman reported. tagesschau.de. Marburg will continue from the first quarter of 2021. The plant, which Novartis acquired in September, will be commissioned in February, ahead of schedule.
Requires special cooling
The raw materials made in Germany are taken to Belgium. In the small town of Puurs in the province of Antwerp, they are processed at the Pfizer plant. Then the finished vaccine is filled into bottles and instantly frozen. The central warehouse with freezers is also located in Puurs. BioNTech board member Sean Marett announced Tuesday that there would be 12.5 million cans for the EU by the end of the year.
The cans are delivered to the different countries in special transport boxes, with 23 kilograms of dry ice per shipment and special control technology. This is because the vaccine must be cooled to minus 70 degrees Celsius to maintain chemical stability and therefore its long-term efficacy.
Via airplanes or vans to EU countries
“Work is now in full swing to prepare the first batches for distribution,” Pfizer said Wednesday morning. However, for security reasons, at this time “no details of individual deliveries are given.”
However, both road and air transport are used internationally. That is why the cargo airline Lufthansa Cargo, for example, is preparing to transport large quantities of frozen vaccines. According to a spokeswoman, the company awaits the corresponding orders. A cargo plane could carry around a million doses of this particular vaccine. Special containers with dry ice are used for cooling.
In Germany, everything takes less time due to the comparatively short distance. According to media reports, the vaccination doses are first taken by truck to a transshipment point, supposedly a Bundeswehr area in Lower Saxony. However, according to the Federal Ministry of Health, this does not exist. “BioNTech and Pfizer deliver directly to countries,” a spokeswoman said Wednesday when asked about tagesschau.de.
Decentralized planning in the countries
The federal states themselves are responsible for storage and transfer to local vaccination centers. They also have to provide the necessary accessories such as syringes, needles, plasters, and disinfectants.
Most countries regulate transport through cooperation agreements with logistics groups or aid organizations especially focused on pharmaceutical products. Lower Saxony and Baden-Württemberg commissioned Deutsche Post DHL, for example. For Lower Saxony alone, the company will store and transport around 2.2 million vaccination cans and around 350 pallets of vaccination accessories, DHL reported two weeks ago. Different temperature ranges would be taken into account.
The logistics company Kuehne + Nagel is responsible for warehousing and delivery in North Rhine-Westphalia. The company will deliver the vaccine doses to the central distribution center in the state, repackage them in smaller quantities and distribute them daily to 53 vaccination centers and other health care facilities in North Rhine-Westphalia, according to a statement.
Are there any weak points?
“The logistics are well prepared,” says Matthias Klumpp, professor of logistics at the University of Göttingen and researcher at the Fraunhofer Institute for Material Flow and Logistics (IML) in Dortmund, in an interview with tagesschau.de. Of course, there are challenges like cooling. But all this had been known for a long time.
In any case, the problem only affects the route from Belgium to the storage facilities in the federal states. In Germany, this can be solved with refrigerators and transport boxes. “I don’t see any obstacles,” says the logistics expert.
Unlike airplanes, trucks would have no weight or safety issues. Dry ice is considered a dangerous good in aviation because it is frozen carbon dioxide that turns into a highly toxic gas in the melting process.
However, for short distances, negative degrees are not needed. According to BioNTech, the vaccine can be kept for five days between two and eight degrees Celsius in normal refrigerators after removing it from the freezer. The vaccination itself can be carried out even at room temperature.
Gather and exchange experiences
The logistics specialist Klumpp is also satisfied with the decentralized organization in the federal states. If only one company was involved, there could be bottlenecks, he says. Now it is important to exchange experiences and keep learning in the process. “You should discuss how you can deal with exceptional cases and process delays,” Klumpp said.
However, at the moment there are hardly any interruptions due to possible traffic jams. “Since there are fewer people on the road, the blockade helps transport run smoothly, especially in metropolitan areas,” explains the professor.
Security is not a weak point either. Trucks are not marked. You don’t see the risk of larger amounts being lost. “The overall system fits. From an expert’s point of view, everything looks good,” Klumpp promises.
